Glenn Phillips thrives as star fielder, happy to move on from wicketkeeping

New Zealand cricketer Glenn Phillips opened up about his transition from wicketkeeping to becoming one of the world's top fielders.

Phillips shared his strong aversion to wicketkeeping, explaining how a back injury gave him the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction.

He admitted that he had informed New Zealand Cricket not to select him if they intended to use him as a wicketkeeper.

 “I hated keeping long before that (back injury), but the back injury was the perfect excuse. It started by telling New Zealand cricket that I didn’t want them to pick me anymore if I was going to play as a keeper... I jumped off that boat to live by my sword and die by it - thankfully it worked out. I would rather do what I was enjoying than stick around doing something I hated with a passion," Phillips told the Wisden.

Phillips also highlighted the limitations of wicketkeeping, explaining how being confined to a small area on the field led to his frustration. He felt that without involvement in the game, wicketkeeping was a waste of time and no fun.

“I got to the point where I got frustrated with everyone in the field. You get stuck in one position where you can only move 10 metres to your left and to your right. If the ball doesn’t come to you, then there’s no movement; you’re not involved in the game at all, and I felt like it was a waste of time. It was no fun. There’s no movement, no running, and what’s the point of doing something if you’re not enjoying something?" he added.

It’s notable that Phillips has only kept wickets in T20Is, and his performance as an all-rounder has been significantly better. As a wicketkeeper, Phillips averaged 18.4 with a strike rate of 117.94. In contrast, as an all-rounder, he boasts an average of 34.28 runs with a strike rate of 143.67.